Volleyball Opens Season Against St. Mary’s (CA)

BOULDER— The University of Colorado volleyball team will host the St. Mary’s (Calif.) Gaels on Friday and Saturday in the Omni Hotels Colorado Volleyball Classic at the Coors Events Center to start the 2013 season. Both matches are set to start at 7 p.m.

Both matches this weekend will be streamed live for free on the Pac-12 Digital Platform (http://buffs.me/buffslive). Live stats will also be available at CUBuffs.com. Early arriving fans for Saturday’s match will receive a free mini-volleyball courtesy of the Omni Hotels.

Colorado returns six starters and the libero from the 2012 team that finished the season with a 14-18 overall record. Seniors Nikki Lindow (middle blocker) and Emily Alexis (right side/outside hitter), juniors Kelsey English (middle blocker) and Neira Ortiz Ruiz (right side/outside hitter) and sophomores Alexis Austin (outside hitter), Nicole Edelman (setter) and Chelsey Keoho (libero/defensive specialist) all return after a successful 2012 campaign.

Austin led the Buffs with 3.14 kills per set and Ortiz Ruiz added 2.24 kills per set. Lindow posted a team-leading 1.22 blocks per set and English posted 0.79 blocks per set. Edelman handed out 9.22 assists per set and Keoho recorded 2.88 digs per set.

Also returning to the line-up is redshirt senior Kerra Schroeder. Schroeder (outside hitter) was sidelined during the 2012 season after suffering an injury in the second match of the season. Schroeder led the Buffs in 2011 with 3.95 kills per set.

The Buffs return 12 of its 15 letterwinners from the 2012 season. In addition, they also added eight newcomers in the offseason, including junior transfer Taylor Simpson.

The Gaels are receiving votes in the AVCA Division I Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released on August 12. They finished the 2012 season with an 18-11 overall record and return three starters, plus the libero, from a squad that went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Seniors Kristina Graven, Jordan Shaw and Sarah Reams return to the line-up with sophomore Dalas Dodd. Graven and Shaw averaged 3.44 and 2.43 kills per set, respectively, on the outside last season. Graven hit .267 and added 3.28 digs per set while Shaw hit .201 and added 3.26 digs per set. Dodd led the team to a .258 hitting percentage, averaging 9.96 assists per set while adding 1.63 digs per set. Reams, the libero, led the team with 3.45 digs per set.

These will be the first two meetings between the Buffs and the Gaels.

Parking for home matches will once again be free in lot 436. Season tickets can be purchased online at CUBuffs.com for $25 or by calling 303-49-BUFFS. Single match tickets are also available.